4 Ways to Include Your Ageing Parents More in Your Children’s Lives

*Collaborative Post

As you get older and start a family of your own, it can often become more difficult to spend more time with your own parents. Family commitments and schooling can get in the way and if your parents are dealing with lower mobility, inviting them on family outings or getting them involved in the activities that you enjoy with your children is not always easy. But statistics show that elderly people who spend more time with their grandchildren tend to be happier and healthier, and it is always nice for kids to spend more time with grandma and grandpa. There are a range of steps that you can take to make it easier for your family to spend more time with your ageing parents.

Improve Mobility

Investing in tools to help your aging parents enjoy better mobility and independence will be helpful when it comes to spending more time together with them as a family. An electric wheelchair, for example, gives your parent the option to visit you whenever they like if they are only within a short distance from your home, as well as making it easier for you to invite them along on family walks and outings. Powered by long lasting batteries, electric wheelchairs are an ideal solution for older people who are dealing with limited mobility skills and need some additional assistance in getting around.

Spend Time at Home

If it is difficult for you to spend time outdoors with your ageing parents, then it’s a good idea to arrange some things that you can do with them together at home. Sometimes something as simple as having your parents around for dinner at the weekend can make a big difference when it comes to the amount of time your family gets to spend with them and can be a great routine to get into. Other home activities such as playing board games together, watching movies, or getting involved in arts and crafts can be a fun way to spend time together and maybe even learn something new.

Take Advantage of Technology

In some cases, it might be difficult to spend a lot of time with your elderly parents, for example, if they live quite far away. Thankfully, there are tons of technological advances that you can take advantage of in order to make sure that you can still spend time together as a family even if some of you are unable to be there in person. The latest gadgets like the Facebook Portal allow for easy video calling through social media, so if your parents are on Facebook, this could make an excellent Christmas gift for them this year to allow you to spend more time together and communicate more often even if you can’t meet up in-person.

Get into a Routine

As you may well know, many elderly people tend to function better when they have a solid routine, so it’s a good idea to try and incorporate a regular time and day to spend time together as a family. Deciding on a day and time each week to visit your parents or do something together as a family like going out for food at a restaurant or even taking a walk in a local park will make it easier for you to set aside the time to spend with them and fit it into your busy family lifestyle. Whether you do the same thing every week or try different things will depend on what works best for you and your parents.

Spending time with grandchildren is important for older people’s health and mental wellbeing, but busy lives can make it difficult for you to spend a lot of time with your parents. Keep these tips in mind to enjoy more time together as a family.

*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.